Valve.



No. 820,154. PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

N. P. TOWNE.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1905.

UNITED srATns PATENT oFFron VAILVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed July 12,1905. Serial No. 269,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN P. TOWNE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Valve, of which the following is a specification.

In the construction of disk or puppet valves there has heretofore been great difliculty ex.- perienced in closing the valve upon its seat, especially when the pressure is high or the valve is of large size, by reason of the yielding of the castings of valve-bodies, since the distortion of the valve-seat, which is part of the casting, leaves a space between the seat of the valve and the seat in the chest through which the steam or other fluid escapes, since the disk of the valve as heretofore made is perfectly rigid or non-resilient and does not and cannot conform itself to the distortion of the seat. By my present invention I have succeeded in overcoming this difflculty by the employment of a flexible valve-disk so constructed and proportioned that pressure of the steam, gas, water, or other fluid will act radially upon the inner surface of the depending outer annular wall of the valve, and thereby spring the valve against its seat, following all the distortions of the seat which may occur when under pressure. In devices of the prior art with which I am familiar the higher the pressure of the fluid the more imperfectly the valve will be seated, with the result that its function was impaired if not rendered almost useless, whereas in my present invention the higher the pressure of the fluid the greater pressure will be exerted between the valve and seat, making an absolutely automatic tight joint.

To the above ends my present invention.

consists, broadly, in the novel construction of the valve-disk, having a suitable body portion provided with a laterallyextending wall from which depends a thin or resilient annular outer wall, preferably beveled at its lower outer portion, whereby pressure of the gas, steam, water, or other fluid underneath the valve will cause the outer wall or ring of the latter to yield or distort sufficiently to bring the valve-face in contact against every part of the valve-seat in the body-casting with such force that the valve will follow such yielding and distortion as the pressure of the fluid will cause to take place on the body of the valve, thus making a tight oint between the inclined faces of the valve and body seats.

It further consists of novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth..

Figure 1 represents a sectional view of the valve and its adjuncts embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents, on an enlarged scale, a sectional view of the valve-disk in detached position.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the valve-casing or body portion of the valve, which may be of any desired or conventional type and adapted for use in controlling the flow of-water, gas, steam, or other fluid medium, said valve having a diaphragm 2, provided with the valve-seat 3 which has its up-.

per inner portion beveled or chamfered.

4 designates the valve, comprising the body portion 5, having the opening 6 there- -through, from which body portion extends the laterally or upwardly inclined portion 7, which has the under, upwardly, and outwardly inclined wall 8.

9 designates a depending annulus or ring, which is preferably beveled at its lower outer face, as indicated at 10, it being understood that said depending outer ring 9 is constructed so that an annular pressure-chamber 11 is formed, which serves as a reservoir wherein pressure is accumulated sufliciently to cause the flexible depending ring orannulus 9 to yield or distort according to requirements. It will further be observed that the ring or annulus 9 is made of such relatively thin proportions with respect to the valve-body that as the valve is forced toward its seat 3 the downward pressure whereby said seating is effected will also assist somewhat to spring inwardly the juxtaposed surfaces of the flexible ring 9 and seat.

12 designates the inlet, and 13 the outlet, passages of the valve-casing 1, it being understood that the valve may be actuated by a stem 14, which is provided with a shoulder 15, adapted'to abut against the counterbore 16 of the .valve, said stem being continued downwardly, whereby the extension 17 is formed, which movesin the guide 18, the latter having the chamber 19 therein, to which 1 pressure is admitted through the port 20.

The valve-stem is preferably threaded and provided with a hand-wheel and packing devices of the usual character; but as this per se forms no part of the present invention I deem it unnecessary to enter into a detailed description of the same.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that after the valve 5 has been moved to- ,ward its seat the pressure of the fluid en'tering the inlet 12 will instantly accumulate within the chamber 11 and will instantly cause the resilient ring or annulus 9 to yield or distort sufiiciently to bring the outer lower beveled face 10 against every portion of the valve-seat 3 with such force that the valve will follow such yielding or distortion as the pressure of the fluid causes Within the chamber 11, thereby making a tight joint between the juxtaposed surfaces of the valve and body seats. In prior devices with which I am familiar I have found from an extended experience that the higher the pressure. thefurther be apparent to those skilled in the art that by the employment of my invention the necessity for employing great force to seat the valve, which is frequently attended with the distortion of the valve-seat, is obviated by my device, since it is only necessaryv to form a moderately tight contact between the outer depending resilient annulus or ring. 9 and its seat, since the pressure within the chamber 11 will complete and perfect the seating action.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to construct leathers of a hydraulic press so that the same may be expanded outwardly by .the pressure thereupon; but this device is not analogous to my present invention, nor could it be used on an ordinary puppet or disk valve in the manner'I have devised.

So far as I am aware I am the first in the art to produce as a concrete unitary device a valve having a pressure-chamber formed between its outer end portion, said pressurechamber'bei'ng surrounded by a depending resilient ring or annulus, whereby the pressure within the pressure-chamber is exerted to effectuate a perfect seating of the valve under all conditions, and my claims to these features are therefore to be interpreted with corresponding scope.

It will be apparent that the broad principle of my invention is applicable to any type of disk or puppet valve and is alsov applicable to any u t h the v lve eyhe p for throttling water, steam, gas, or other pressure medium, and I therefore do not desire to be restricted in the application of my invention to anyparticular type of valve or to'any application of the same, nor do I desire to be restricted to the precise form or structure herein shown, since various changes maybe made by those skilled in the art which will come within the spirit of my invention. It will thus be apparent that the broad principle of my invention does; not embody merely a change in degree of the sizeor propo tion of the parts, but consists more especially th mployment of the pressure-chamber 1 in conjunction with the outer depending flexible or resilient wall or annulus 9, which latter is adapted to. be distorted, as explained, ac-

cording tofrequirements, whereby a perfectly tight joint is obtained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As, an improved article of manu acture,

a valve having. an outer, depending, resilient ring with its acting edge beveled to engage an interior surface 'ofa valve-seat, said fringbeing of such thickness that thepres'surefof the fluid being throttled wil fe fee aid ring against the valve-seat.

2. As, an improv ed, article of manufacture, a valve comprising a: body. p0IEti0n, and an Outer, p g; flexib e. ing t ree n t ding toward th lvalve at and having, a pressurer hambe ht lfmedlete sai ring, and said. body, the lower-pe inent sai ring being adapted to conta t at i s freeeh with an interior surface. of the valve-seat.

3. In a devi of. the h l cte nehledae casing having a valve:$eet,. a va ve, mean for actuating said. valve an aneute res lit ng. depending fromsa d v lv th i freeend bearing upon an; interior surface of the valve-seat, whereby a tp ressurechamber is o med within saidring, an sa d r glheving itsfre end extended. towar the valveseat, said ring being of suph thickness that the. fluid being throttled will. fe eiisa dl ring against said seat.

4. The combination Of abedy, adisk valve having. an internal ressureeehamber, and. a oute eperiihin'g, resilient ng: w th its free end bearing upon a nterio surf ee. of the valve-seat, a valveestem forseid Yhlve, said p essureecha be being ad pted t re eiv the pressure of the fluid being throttled, whereby the pressureof he valve against: it seat caused by the Valve-stem isincreasedby he pressure. of; h fs eam, gas or other fluid underneath the valve.

5. In adevie 0t he.eh ra endese ibed, the. combinatio f e valvereasing. .heving valve-seat therein, a valvecemprisi g. a hedy 5 having an upwardly-inclined inner wall 8 seat is pressed against the Valve-seat proporand a depending, outer, flexible ring 9, wheretionately to the distortion of the latter under by a pressure-chamber 11 is formed between pressure.

said body and ring, said chamber being NATHAN P. TOWNE. 5 adapted for the reception of the pressure me- Witnesses:

dium, whereby said ring with its free end H. STOOKWELL FAIRBANKS,

bearing upon an interior surface of the valve- 0. D. MOVAY. 

